It's the rite of spring. Left for dead after the holiday season in each of the past four NHL seasons, the Panthers woke up, got a whiff of that putrid elimination odor and began battling for their collective lives once Feb. 1 rolled around.

That's the frustrating part for most Cats fans: "Can't they just roll over and play dead without giving us hope every year?"

Regardless of who's behind the bench or in the front office, the Panthers' players have failed to comprehend every game counts, not just those played in the latter stages of the season. And, it hasn't just occurred this year, but in every season since 2003-04. Florida boasts a 57-38-17 record in games played from Feb. 1 on. Certainly that's not a spectacular record, but it's a damn sight better than the way they perform prior to Feb. 1 each year. The Panthers' record in those games is a less-than-satisfying 78-93-38.

It's actually a bit mystifying when you see Jacques Martin's troops run off eight straight wins and beat Eastern Conference rivals with regularity in "must-win" games late in the season, but until the calendar says: February — forget it.

It's not as if the Panthers get blown out by opponents with regularity either. In the past four seasons they have lost 40 times in games decided in overtime or in a shoot-out, and another 47 by one goal in regulation. While they have been victorious 69 times in games decided by a single tally, those close losses spell nothing more than missed opportunity while giving their opponents an additional point in the standings.

Another headscratcher is the fact that Florida is the Southeast Division's most generous team in allowing shots over the past four seasons, too, and that's saying a goal-full considering prior to this year Washington's defense has been porous and Atlanta gives up shots like lawyers give out business cards outside an NFL locker room.

In fact, Tampa Bay's goalies have faced 1,958 fewer shots than their Florida counterparts since the start of the 2003-04 season.

Mathematically, the Panthers are still alive but even if they win their next five games it likely won't be good enough to qualify for the postseason or to save Martin's job.

Said defenseman Bryan Allen after last night's loss to Tampa Bay, "For whatever reason, for such a big game, we didn't come out like we needed to. "And (we) didn't have that jump and that desperation. It's amazing how the first five minutes can dictate the whole game."

Or, how the first four months can dictate the whole season!